Ex-Reds Executive Sues for Discrimination

Published 8:00 pm, Wednesday, April 23, 2003

A former Cincinnati Reds assistant general manager sued the team Thursday for discrimination, claiming he was demoted because he is black.

Darrell "Doc" Rodgers, who was reassigned in October to special assistant to the general manager, also accused the Reds of breaking his contract.

Rodgers said the demotion came without notice when the team moved from Cinergy Field to its new home at Great American Ball Park.

"Having never received a negative evaluation, plaintiff Doc Rodgers knew that race was a factor in his demotion," his lawsuit said.

He worked for 14 years for the Reds before resigning in January to become director of baseball operations for the Baltimore Orioles. He became the Reds' assistant general manager in January 1997 after having been a minor league player and pitching coach in the Reds' organization.

His lawsuit in U.S. District Court also names Reds general manager Jim Bowden and chief operating officer John Allen as defendants. The lawsuit demands at least $750,000 in compensatory damages, plus unspecified punitive damages that would be determined at a jury trial.

Cincinnati said the team treated Rodgers fairly and honored his contract.

"The Reds deny discriminating against him on the basis of his race or any other protected classification," the statement said.

The team says Rodgers did not lose any pay or benefits when he was reassigned and continued to report to the general manager.

Rodgers filed a complaint against the Reds last year with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, but no evidence of discrimination was found, the team said.

Rodgers claimed in his lawsuit that he and three black employees in the front office were paid less than white counterparts in the league. Rodgers said his first-year salary as an assistant general manager in 1997 was $69,000, while a white colleague was paid $120,000 when promoted to assistant general manager in 2002.

Former Reds majority owner Marge Schott sold her controlling share of the team in 1999 under pressure from major league baseball after having been disciplined twice by the sport for comments considered racially or ethnically offensive.